Sometimes, it seems as if Activision purposely releases a franchise until gamers hate it. Every year they pumped out a new Tony Hawk until everyone was sick of it. They did the same with Guitar Hero. All these years later, they seem to be doing the same with Call of Duty. I was feeling it with Modern Warfare 3. In fact, I played less of it than any Call of Duty game in the history of the franchise.

Typically, I play a Call of Duty game for about 9 months, then I take a couple of months off and come back about a month before the new one releases to keep my skills sharp. I stopped playing Modern Warfare 3 about a month after its release.

With Black Ops 2, I get the feeling that it is going to suck me back in. Besides the cool stuff announced for it, I get the feeling that this is going to be a game where we all think to ourselves, “they’ve still got it,” and this article will explain why.

Treyarch

I feel like we are in backwards land. Not long ago, a Call of Duty game made by Treyarch left me completely disinterested. After Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3, it feels like Treyarch has been promoted to the A team, and Infinity Ward has become the B team. Of course, a good portion of Infinity Ward’s high ranking employees leaving could have something to do with the shift in power.

If the original Black Ops was any indication, it seems like Treyarch has this COD thing figured out, and I am genuinely excited to see what they do with Black Ops 2. It could fall flat on its face, but with the level of awesomeness in the original Black Ops, that seems unlikely.

Pick 10 Loadout Multiplayer System

Call of Duty has always had a very customizable system for choosing what to take into battle with you. In fact, the perk and kill streak system is a large reason Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was such a runaway success. With Black Ops 2, Treyarch is pulling out all the stops and redesigning the system from the ground up. The end result, called Pick 10, is an exciting new take for both veterans and new players alike.

In Pick 10, every item you bring into battle is worth one point, and you can spend ten. This means gamers are no longer locked into choosing the standard three perks, a primary gun with two attachments and so one. Instead, they can tweak their loadout to suit their needs. The introduction of wildcards, which allow gamers to break the standard loadout limitations, take customization to another level.

Imagine having four perks and a primary gun with three attachments. It sounds like some kind of parallel universe, but in Black Ops 2, it is completely possible.

Strike Force Missions In Single Player

Call of Duty has always been incredibly linear, sometimes to a fault. Many have said that playing the single player feels more like watching a summer blockbuster than playing a video game. Some players love it, others wish the game had some kind of branching paths. Well with Black Ops 2, Treyarch figured out a way to please both kinds of players. Strike Force missions are like side missions in the game that force players to make some choices, and these choices change the overall story of the game.

These side missions are much more like sandboxes than traditional COD gameplay. This helps make the game feel much more open. Building these missions as fun asides is actually quite genius of Treyarch. It allows them to retain the feel of Call of Duty while opening up the game for people who complain that it is too linear. Making them actually change the outcome of the game is just the icing on the cake.

Conclusion

At its core, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is still a COD game. It has all the trappings we expect from Call of Duty, but it appears to have just the right amount of new stuff to have me excited. I’ve been playing Call of Duty since there was Call of Duty to play, and it’s been a while since I have been looking forward to a COD release this much. Just when I was ready to write COD off as being Tony Hawked, they manage to suck me right back in again.

Are you excited for Black Ops 2, or are you done with Call of Duty? Let us know in the comments!

I have been watching some of the Black Ops 2 video's and all I need to say is it looks like another modern warfare to me, honestly no hype what so ever. Regardless I am still excited to check it out and see what is all about, but I think Black Ops 1 will still be a winner in my heart.

i loved MW3 and i think treyarch tried to do too much with the new black ops. first of all in the trailer i noticed u have to pull out ur knife to use it u cant just push the right stick anymore and i heard from somewhere that there is no underbarell grenade launcher. i like how u can can make it a machine gun or a 3 round burst or a single shot. i also think the pick 10 system isnt going to be that great just my opinion if anyone knows if it is true or false that u need to pull out ur knife before using it let me know

Don't ...I love almost every CoD game that came out and especially the modern warfare series. World at War was ok but Black Ops on PC was horrible....the good thing about BOII is that it almost looks and feels like nothing from BO1 they changed the game completely and if you want to try and get a feel of BO2 you might just want to save it till its release.

Treyarch did infact partialy destroy this game reputation about cod and its gameplay...but i think the cod as a serie will newer be the same again,they are trying to move forward in a more "futuristic" slide gameplay...

Dave LeClair loves games on console, PC, mobile, handheld, and any electronic device that is capable of playing them! He manages the Deals section, writes articles, and does lots of behind the scenes work at MakeUseOf.